Unexpected cricket teams in the bagging area

Long before Kraft bought the Somerdale factory from Cadbury's and swiftly closed it down, making local workers redundant and ceasing production of DoubleDeckers (chocolate, not buses Blakey) the Fry's Chocolate Company's sports and social club used to have an apostrophe. These days it's known as Fry Club and the first rule about Fry Club is you do not talk about Fry Club. However,

The previous day's deluge had left the top pitch as gooey as a gateaux and Iggy had no hesitation in asking Avonside to bat first, once he'd won the toss for the thirteenth time. In the words of the late Roy Castle, ‘Dedication’s what you need, if you wanna be a record-breaker,’ and Iggy certainly has been a dedicated tosser this season.

RT1 and Garnier bowled the first half a dozen overs with customary accuracy and magnificent tedious economy. Each bagged a wicket apiece with their opening salvos; first RT1 induced an edge behind, smartly caught by Ollie, who momentarily misplaced his Ps and Qs in his assertion of the batsman's downfall, neither of them noticing the umpire's index finger of confirmation. Shortly afterwards Garnier bowled the other opener during a wicket maiden that left the opposition on 7-2.

The next pair at the crease put on 71, first taking around five an over from the remainder of RT1 and Garnier's spells, then scoring a couple of boundaries off Ev's first over. Fielding was generally keen and smart - Ange got behind a point blank smash that would have perforated a lesser man - but the boundaries were mostly short, one on a separate contour line.  The Landlord didn't initially fare much better in the attempt at keeping a lid on the simmering pot, but then Ev made the breakthrough, forcing a mistimed drive in the air to mid-off where Kalu made no mistake (unlike the four he'd earlier let through his legs down the hill that caused howls and barks) and at drinks the opposition were on 81-3.

After the break both bowlers tied the batsmen down for a while (modesty would prevent the Landlord from boasting about his last four overs going for just two runs) but couldn't get them out. Although the run rate had now dropped to below four, Avonside had the potential of being very dangerous in the remaining overs with seven wickets in hand. As has so often been the case this season, Iggy had at least eight bowlers to choose from. This week the fifth arm of the octopus was Kalu, but there was ink all over the scorebook when his first couple of overs went for 27. RT1 was kept busy in the outfield and parried what would have been a spectacular catch instead of a muntered one. Both the skipper and Kalu bravely persevered and in his third over he bowled the No.5 to end the partnership: 136-4.

Meanwhile AB had come on to bowl at the other end, also finding success in his third over by bowling the incoming batsman: 149-5 with half a dozen overs remaining. The No3 then accelerated the run rate, pushing his own score towards a century, hitting at least a six from each of Kalu's next three overs before the bowler's nerve and flight outdid the batsman's judgement and he was bowled for 96. Suddenly remembering that this was the last opportunity to bowl on grass for the next seven months, Iggy brought himself and AndyB on to bowl, the latter taking a wicket with his second ball, Iggy pouching a fine caught and bowled off his third ball and striking again with the next one (his dad was watching). AndyB responded to being hit for six from the first ball of the final over by bowling the No.10 with the next, wrapping up the innings on 184, the last five wickets having fallen for thirteen runs.

The tea break coincided with the end of a soccer match being played by the club house, adding to the usual shabby debacle of tea time at Fry's. Not even a choccy biccie in sight. Those with polystyrene cup, white bread and doughnut allergies brought alternatives (ok, just me).

Ev and Ange carried forward the momentum gained at the end of Avonside's innings, batting positively and scoring at five an over until the sixth, when Ange was caught in front of the wicket for 14. Ev was caught behind for 13 off the first ball of the following over, AndyB bowled for a duck with the fifth and with the score on 33-3 the Cowboys needed some consolidation. Step forward Iggy, who, with vociferous female support and under paternal scrutiny, knuckled down and kept the score ticking over. At the other end, although the supportive role was vital, Justin's watch had apparently stopped and he struggled to find scoring opportunities. Both batsmen eventually succumbed to successive deliveries; Justin LBW sweeping for 4, Iggy caught at long on for 27, just after some Jonah had mentioned that the new bowler, the opposition skipper, was a canny one with the ball: 75-5.

AB then completely disproved the Jonah theory by smiting said bowler for four fours in his next over, while Ollie had a less productive and pleasant time at the other end. At drinks the Cowboys were precisely half way to their target on 92-5, but immediately afterwards Ollie was caught close to the wicket and the balance of the match swung slightly back in the opposition's favour. Kalu joined AB and for five overs they kept the required run rate in sight before Kalu was caught in the 25th over for 8 with the score on 106-7.

The sky brightened, a hot air balloon took off from a field near the river. The Landlord didn't find the bowling particularly challenging but there was movement behind the bowler's arm, albeit approximately 93 million miles away and bright orange-coloured. To have attempted to watch the ball out of the bowler's hand would have meant instant blindness. Adjusting headgear, squinting out of one eye and prodding straight seemed to be the best policy. Batting at the other end, by comparison, was a doddle and so it was utter madness for the Landlord to be run out for 10 attempting to get away from that end and an act of kindness for AB to sagely send him back. A shame about the direct hit: 127-8.

With ten overs remaining the Cowboys required just less than a run a ball to win. With AB and now Garnier at the wicket it was still a plausible plot, but a couple of overs later the curtains came down prematurely as AB was bowled for 32 and without the score advancing, Garnier was blinded by the light (wrapped up like a deuce, another runner in the night) and bowled for 6. All out for 134 in the 34th over, fifty runs short.

AB won the Man of the Match vote for his batting and bowling and did the double, or triple, by being awarded the Cider Moment for his pugnacious 4x4 over. Iggy also won plaudits for his caught and bowled, as did RT1 for his fielding and nearly fielding of the ball.

If rumours of the impending redevelopment of this part of the ground are correct, it's likely that this was the last cricket match to be played on the top pitch and just possible that the wicket could become a supermarket aisle: Unexpected cricket teams in the bagging area.

Scorecard

Man down

In cricket there are several types of rained-off matches, but this wasn't one of them. Despite overnight rain and an abundance of blue splodges on the rainfall radar, the Saturday 1st XI headed through intermittent light drizzle to Farmborough for their home match against 'big-hitting' Avonside.

Working his solstician magic, Iggy won the toss for the seventh time in succession and once again, with an octet of bowlers at his disposal, asked the opposition to bat first on a green strip with a damp but fast-drying outfield.

Davey and RT1 took the new ball, the latter having the best of possible starts by inducing a mistimed swipe into the covers for the Landlord to pouch, dismissing the reputable opening skipper for a duck. The new batsman and remaining opener then accumulated runs at just under four an over, putting on fifty together until the Landlord, replacing Davey down the hill, starting with two maidens, prompted a risky swipe across the line that found an edge which soared high before descending for RT1 to take a well-judged catch.

Wilki and the Landlord proceeded past drinks, keeping the run rate down and giving stumps and bats a close shave, but it wasn't until Garnier's spell that the next wicket fell. Thereafter, the Avonside middle order sought to up the tempo, attacking Lalith, who responded to no avail by bowling off a Duncanesque longer run.

After Garnier hit the stumps for the second time to dismiss the opener just short of his half-century, the opposition, with wickets in hand, piled on the runs as Ev and the returning Davey tried their best to prevent them from doing so. Both picked up a wicket apiece in the process and RT1's second spell earned him a couple more, one from his trademark slower delivery after being hit for a six the previous ball.

At the end of their 40 overs 'The Riverbank Men' had amassed 227-8, which was perhaps no more than had been expected earlier in the week, but a few more than had been forecast earlier in the afternoon.

Gratitude is owed to Ange not only for providing the tea, but for the pizza and chips back at the pub later. After a light passing shower he took his Nimbus 2013 to the wicket with Grove to open the Cowboys' reply.

The pair coped well with Avonside's pacey opening bowlers, building a slow but solid opening partnership, finding the boundary with just enough regularity and reaching fifty together unscathed. The middle of the brother's willow certainly appeared to have some oomph in it and he used it well. Grove was the first to depart, caught at point off the slow bowling of the opposing skipper, then Ange was out in a similar fashion to the bowler from the other end: 65-2.

Ev and Wilki tried to rebuild, one eye on the escaping run rate, but when Ev was not long after caught at extra cover and Davey his replacement was bowled a couple of overs later, there was a familiar blue funk in the air. Wilki's departure in a similar fashion to the same bowler compounded the feeling: 84-5.

If anyone was capable of maintaining the required asking rate it was Iggy, with solid support from Preash. The latter, hitting the ball with more force each week, looked more than capable of staying around in support, but perished to another catch before the hundred was up, bringing Lalith to the middle.

The pair's sensible but purposeful intent paid off and the score picked up as both got their eye in, unleashed some powerful blows and dashed up and down the wicket. Then, with a crack that would have been picked up by Snicko, Iggy's calf muscle tore, depositing him on the ground and to the sideline for weeks to come, but not until the job in hand was completed. This was going to require a runner and possibly the chaos that one often brings to proceedings: Step forward the Landlord, next man in and never yet run out while playing for the Cowboys.

Iggy continued to defend and bludgeon as best he could, the other two doing the scampering up and down without incident or comedy, until the tragedy of his dismissal at mid-on for 28 (with a strike rate of 155, if the scorebook is to be believed, although for parts of the afternoon it is not).

Lalith took over the heavy hitting, joined now by the runner turned batsman, both searching for the runs to keep their team in contention, but when Lalith failed to complete a second run to a good throw and departed for 20, the required run rate was over ten an over with only two wickets left. Enter Garnier with the Nimbus 2013, throwing hands and craftsmanship at a ball with a modicum of width and sending it hurtling to the square boundary like a hare escaping a greyhound, twice, thereby garnering enough votes to win the Cider Moment.

There was some more scampering between wickets before Garnier's cameo ended (word up!) and he fell to the opening bowler's second spell with the score on 164-9, still some sixty runs short. Could Tinkler and Taylor perform a heroic tenth wicket stand? Apparently not, as the Landlord attempted a quick single to the best arm on the field, didn't ground his bat and was run out for the first time in fifty-one games.

The Landlord was voted Man of the Match, probably not for being run out for five and dropping a catch, possibly in sympathy, as a member of the opposition had inadvertently gone off with his raincoat and a heavy shower was imminent.

Scorecard